Objectives

Examines the neighborhood-level relationship between gang graffiti and gang violence in a large city in the western region of the US during a peak period of local gang feuds in 2014–15.

Methods

Bayesian Poisson log-linear mixed regression models with a spatio-temporal autoregressive process are estimated using a combination of data for N = 42,276 space–time units.

Results

Consistent with the view of graffiti an important means of street-level communication between gangs and an integral part of group processes associated with violence escalation and contagion, results reveal a roughly 40 to 60% increase in the expected rate of gang homicides, gang assaults, and gang firearm offenses (but not gang robberies) for each unit increase in neighborhood density of gang graffiti. Somewhat unexpectedly, the relationship with both gang homicide and gang assault was stronger for non-threatening gang graffiti than gang graffiti involving explicit threats or disrespect.

Conclusions

Findings suggest gang graffiti provides clear clues about local “staging grounds,” where gang status is on the line and violence is expected and easily provoked. Thus, while gangs increasingly are dissing rivals and airing beefs through music (e.g., “diss tracks”) and in cyberspace, many still occupy and defend turf and write graffiti that communicates threats to other gangs and feeds into group processes associated with violence escalation and contagion.

中文翻译：

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帮派涂鸦，集体程序和帮派暴力

目标

研究了在2014-15年度当地帮派争端的高峰时期，在美国西部一个大城市中，帮派涂鸦与帮派暴力之间的邻里关系。

方法

使用N = 42,276时空单位的数据组合来估计具有时空自回归过程的贝叶斯泊松对数线性混合回归模型。

结果

根据涂鸦的观点，帮派之间进行街头交流的一种重要手段以及与暴力升级和蔓延相关的群体过程的组成部分，结果表明，帮派凶杀，帮派袭击，和单位的枪支犯罪（但不是团伙抢劫），单位涂鸦的邻里密度增加。出乎意料的是，对于非威胁性的帮派涂鸦，与帮派凶杀和帮派袭击的关系要强于涉及明显威胁或不尊重的帮派涂鸦。

结论

调查结果表明，帮派涂鸦提供了有关当地“舞台”的明确线索，在那里，帮派地位高涨，暴力行为是可预见的，并且容易引发。因此，尽管帮派越来越多地通过音乐（例如“ diss track”）和网络空间散布竞争对手并播放牛肉，但许多帮派仍然占领并捍卫草皮并撰写涂鸦，以传达对其他帮派的威胁，并将暴力行为与传染。